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Presidential Recordings

The Presidential Recordings Collection is made up of two distinct types of presidential speech: public speeches made by U.S. Presidents and secret recordings made in the White House between 1940 and 1973.

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The audio from John Fitzgerald Kennedy's 1961 Inaugural Address. This is the speech with the famous quote "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country."favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 3 reviews ) Topic: Speeches Source: The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library

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President Franklin Delano Roosevelt asks Congress to declare war on Japan in a joint session of congress one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 8 reviews ) Topic: On the Occasion of National Events Source: Nothwestern University

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Nixon press conference on March 24, 1972. The press conference opens with a question about the suspension of Paris Peace talks to end the Vietnam War. Nixon maitains that the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong are not serious in negiotiations and using them for propaganda purposes. Other topics discussed include desegregation, the ITT scandal and inflation. From the Nixon Presidential holdings at the National Archives, identifier P-720312.favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews ) Topic: Presidential Recordings Source: Open audio reel

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Franklin D. Roosevelt Office Conversation. A. Philip Randolph, the leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (the first African-American labor union) discusses the issue of African-Americans in the military with Roosevelt. Frank Knox, Secretary of the Navy, is also included in the meeting.favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 4 reviews ) Topic: Franklin D. Roosevelt Source: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library

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President George W. Bush Addresses a Joint Session of Congress and the American People a little over a week after 9/11 followed by Press Questions.favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 4 reviews ) Topic: Presidential Recordings Source: Mini-disk Recording

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Republican candidate, Vice President Richard M. Nixon, and Democratic candidate, Senator John F. Kennedy hold their first debate on the topic of domestic policy. The candidates answer, or comment upon answers to questions put by a panel of correspondents from the major news networks.favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews ) Topic: Debates Source: The John F. Kennedy Library

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Republican candidate, Vice President Richard M. Nixon, and Democratic candidate, Senator John F. Kennedy hold their third debate. The candidates answer, or comment upon answers to questions put by a panel of correspondents. For this debate John F. Kennedy was in New York and Richard M. Nixon was in Los Angeles, the correspondants were in a third studio.favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews ) Topic: Debates Source: The John F. Kennedy Library

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The final of three 2004 US Presidential Debates. Topics focused on Domestic Policy. This debate was moderated by Bob Schieffer (CBS News) and took place at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. Candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry participated in this debate.favoritefavoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews ) Topic: Debates Source: CSPAN

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Republican candidate, Vice President Richard M. Nixon, and Democratic candidate, Senator John F. Kennedy hold their fourth and final debate on the topic of foreign policy. The candidates answer, or comment upon answers to questions put by a panel of correspondents from the major news networks. Each answer was limited to 2 1/2 minutes. Each rebuttal to 1 1/2 minutes.favoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews ) Topic: Debates Source: The John F. Kennedy Library

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The first of three 2004 US Presidential Debates. Topics focused on Foreign Policy and Homeland Security. This debate was moderated by Jim Lehrer (Anchor and Executive Editor, The NewsHour on PBS) and took place at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. Candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry participated in this debate. Topics: Presidential Recordings, Debates Source: CSPAN

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The second of three 2004 US Presidential Debates. Questions were submitted and read by a group of voters determined by the Gallup organization. This debate was moderated by Charles Gibson (ABC News Anchor) and took place at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry participated in this debate.favoritefavoritefavorite ( 4 reviews ) Topic: Debates Source: CSPAN

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Roosevelt receives a group of citizens expressing their support for additional aid to Great Britain in its struggle against Germany.favoritefavorite ( 2 reviews ) Topic: Franklin D. Roosevelt Source: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library

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City Upon a Hill Speech. Address before the Massachusetts General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Massachusetts State House, Boston, MA.favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews ) Topic: John F. Kennedy Source: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library

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Remarks by President George W. Bush on the Loss of Space Shuttle Columbia.favoritefavoritefavorite ( 3 reviews ) Topics: Presidential Recordings, On the Occasion of National Events Source: The White House

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Franklin D. Roosevelt Office Conversation. We have reason to believe that this conversation is a continuation of the coversation above with A. Philip Randolph. Most of the recording consists of Roosevelt and Frank Knox discussing the issue of African-Americans in the Navy. We believe Randolph can be heard briefly during the discussion.favoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews ) Topic: Franklin D. Roosevelt Source: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library

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Franklin D. Roosevelt Press Conference. The press enters the Oval Office around the 4:20 point. The recording before this point is office conversation before the press conference. The press conference ends at the 15:55 point in the recording. The remainder of the recording is office conversation following the press conference. In this office conversation, Roosevelt discusses the growing foreign policy conflict with Japan.favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 2 reviews ) Topic: Franklin D. Roosevelt Source: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library

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The only 2004 US Vice Presidential Debate. Topics covered both Foreign and Domestic Policy. This debate was moderated by Gwen Ifill (Host, Washington Week on PBS) and took place at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Candidates Richard B. Cheney and John Edwards participated in this debate.favoritefavoritefavoritefavorite ( 1 reviews ) Topic: Debates Source: CSPAN

The Presidential Recordings Collection is made up of two distinct types of presidential speech: public speeches made by U.S. Presidents and secret recordings made in the White House between 1940 and 1973.

Many of the recordings originate from the National Archives and the individual presidential libraries that fall under the National Archives. Digital copies of the recordings have been provided by the Scripps Library at the Miller Center of Public Affairs. The Miller Center is a nonpartisan research center at the University of Virginia whose focus is the American presidency.

There are also now a number of old and new presidential recordings provided by Internet Archive users.

Finding aids exist for the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon secret White House recordings. The Scripps Library has developed a webpage with detailed information on how to access and use these finding aids.